ATTACHMENT ALL ESSAY PLANS:
Describe and Evaluate Research into Caregiver-Infant
Interactions?
Caregiver-Infant Interactions AO1:
Interactions – Babies have frequent and important interactions with caregiver
Reciprocity – Mothers respond to infant alertness. From 3 months close attention between mother
and infant.
International Synchrony – Interactions become coordinated. Isabella: quality of attachment related
to synchrony. Observed 30 mothers and infant together and assessed degree of synchrony.
Researchers assessed quality of mother-infant attachment. Found high levels of synchrony were
associated with better quality mother-infant attachment
Attachment Figures AO1:
Parent – Infant – Traditionally mother-infant but other attachment figures may be important (father)
Role of Father – Grossman: attachment to fathers less important but fathers may have different role
– play and simulation
Fathers as Primary Carers – Field: fathers as primary carers adopt attachment behaviour more
typical of mothers
Evaluation AO3:
Controlled Observations – Capture fine detail of interactions and well controlled. Good validity.
Inconsistent Findings – Different research questions overall picture unclear.
Fathers not primary attachments – May be due to traditional gender toles or biological differences
Describe and Evaluate Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment? (16)
Schaffer & Emerson Study AO1:
Aims – Investigate age of attachment formation and who attachment are formed with
Method – Mothers of 60 Glasgow babies reported monthly on separation anxiety
Findings – Most babies showed attachment to primary caregiver by 32 weeks and developed
multiple attachments soon after this.
Stages of Attachment AO1:
Asocial Stage – Little observable social behaviour
Indiscriminate Attachment – More observable attachment behaviour, accept cuddles from any adult
Specific Attachment – Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety in regard to 1 particular adult
, Multiple Attachments – Attachment behaviour directed towards more than 1 adult (secondary
attachments)
Evaluation AO3:
Good External Validity – Observations were in participant natural environments
Asocial Stage – Social behaviour is hard to observe in the first few weeks but this doesn’t mean the
baby is ‘asocial’
Measuring Multiple Attachments – Just because a child protests when an adult leaves does not
necessarily mean attachment
Describe and Evaluate Animal Studies of Attachment? (16)
Lorenz’s Research AO1:
Procedure – Goslings saw Lorenz when they hatched
Findings – Newly hatched chicks attach to the first moving object they see (imprinting)
Sexual Imprinting – Adult birds try to mate with whatever species or object they imprint on
Harlow’s Research AO1:
Procedure – Baby monkeys given cloth or wire ‘mother’ with feeding bottle attached
Findings – Monkeys clung to cloth surrogate rather than wire one, regardless of which dispensed
milk
Maternally Deprived Monkey’s – Grew up socially dysfunctional
The Critical Period – After 90 days attachments wouldn’t form
Evaluation AO3:
Generalizability – Birds and mammals have different attachment systems so Lorenz’s results may not
be relevant to humans
Theoretical Value – Demonstrated that attachment depends more on contact comfort than feeding
Ethical Issues – Suffering of the monkey’s would be human-like
Describe and Evaluate Learning Theory as an Explanation of
Attachment? (16)
Learning Theory AO1:
Classical Conditioning – Caregiver (neutral stimulus) associated with food (unconditioned stimulus).
Caregiver becomes conditioned stimulus
Operant Conditioning – Crying behaviour reinforced positively for infant and negatively for caregiver
Describe and Evaluate Research into Caregiver-Infant
Interactions?
Caregiver-Infant Interactions AO1:
Interactions – Babies have frequent and important interactions with caregiver
Reciprocity – Mothers respond to infant alertness. From 3 months close attention between mother
and infant.
International Synchrony – Interactions become coordinated. Isabella: quality of attachment related
to synchrony. Observed 30 mothers and infant together and assessed degree of synchrony.
Researchers assessed quality of mother-infant attachment. Found high levels of synchrony were
associated with better quality mother-infant attachment
Attachment Figures AO1:
Parent – Infant – Traditionally mother-infant but other attachment figures may be important (father)
Role of Father – Grossman: attachment to fathers less important but fathers may have different role
– play and simulation
Fathers as Primary Carers – Field: fathers as primary carers adopt attachment behaviour more
typical of mothers
Evaluation AO3:
Controlled Observations – Capture fine detail of interactions and well controlled. Good validity.
Inconsistent Findings – Different research questions overall picture unclear.
Fathers not primary attachments – May be due to traditional gender toles or biological differences
Describe and Evaluate Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment? (16)
Schaffer & Emerson Study AO1:
Aims – Investigate age of attachment formation and who attachment are formed with
Method – Mothers of 60 Glasgow babies reported monthly on separation anxiety
Findings – Most babies showed attachment to primary caregiver by 32 weeks and developed
multiple attachments soon after this.
Stages of Attachment AO1:
Asocial Stage – Little observable social behaviour
Indiscriminate Attachment – More observable attachment behaviour, accept cuddles from any adult
Specific Attachment – Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety in regard to 1 particular adult
, Multiple Attachments – Attachment behaviour directed towards more than 1 adult (secondary
attachments)
Evaluation AO3:
Good External Validity – Observations were in participant natural environments
Asocial Stage – Social behaviour is hard to observe in the first few weeks but this doesn’t mean the
baby is ‘asocial’
Measuring Multiple Attachments – Just because a child protests when an adult leaves does not
necessarily mean attachment
Describe and Evaluate Animal Studies of Attachment? (16)
Lorenz’s Research AO1:
Procedure – Goslings saw Lorenz when they hatched
Findings – Newly hatched chicks attach to the first moving object they see (imprinting)
Sexual Imprinting – Adult birds try to mate with whatever species or object they imprint on
Harlow’s Research AO1:
Procedure – Baby monkeys given cloth or wire ‘mother’ with feeding bottle attached
Findings – Monkeys clung to cloth surrogate rather than wire one, regardless of which dispensed
milk
Maternally Deprived Monkey’s – Grew up socially dysfunctional
The Critical Period – After 90 days attachments wouldn’t form
Evaluation AO3:
Generalizability – Birds and mammals have different attachment systems so Lorenz’s results may not
be relevant to humans
Theoretical Value – Demonstrated that attachment depends more on contact comfort than feeding
Ethical Issues – Suffering of the monkey’s would be human-like
Describe and Evaluate Learning Theory as an Explanation of
Attachment? (16)
Learning Theory AO1:
Classical Conditioning – Caregiver (neutral stimulus) associated with food (unconditioned stimulus).
Caregiver becomes conditioned stimulus
Operant Conditioning – Crying behaviour reinforced positively for infant and negatively for caregiver
